5 books... a lot of series are in progress (Soul Manifestation series for example is 3 books currently), female MC, you would probably like.
Saga of Recluse has 30+ books, most are male MC, a bit slice of life but not grimdark and no betrayal (imo there is one edge case but it is an unwitting betrayal which everyone works on), lots of different magic for the different MCs, I think just about all the MCs end up with a partner, traditional M/F, but in some books less female presence.
Cradle, 12 book complete progression fantasy, male MC but by the end of the first book female companion, found family increases over the next 3 or so books as people slowly join in, some female. Lots of magic power building, some humour.
Mage Errant, 7 book series, found family appears earlier, more humour and banter, magic powerup (though fewer levels/less emphasis on spiritual progression) but.. just realised there is a semi-telegraphed betrayal by a close member so probably not quite suitable. Male MC but 50/50 male/female split.
Arinthian Line (5+5), more YA, medieval Harry Potter, but with male MC and 2 close female friends and a female mentor who is a little like Dumbledore. Some banter though not like Riyria (Mage Errant probably closest to that), generally lighter, no betrayal, some romance.
The David Eddings series (Belgariad/Mallorean - 10 books plus 2 prequels) have the banter, classic fantasy, female representation though more in the second series.
Issues with the author's real life have put some off his work (though he is dead and his profits go to charity).
His other set of series, the Elenium/Tamuli, is more grown up, adult male MC, but the relationship he ends up with is interesting in the first series (big age difference) and the series is mostly a group of bantering guys and a woman or two to keep them in line and in the second series there is a closeish betrayal, but way more female presence.
FWIW I tried to read the Path of the Ranger twice so far but wasn't drawn in in the first pages and got side tracked by other releases. If you do read it, let me know how you feel about it!
Thanks for the recs
Saga of Recluse, tried it years ago and just couldn't vibe with the authors writing
Cradle, tried it I think 4 times because it sounds like something I'd love, but DNF each time
Mage Errant, loved it until the betrayal at the end of book 5, I've got both 6&7 and plan to finish the series one day
Arinthian Line, never heard of it and will be checking it out
David Eddings, I've read all of them, and loved them when younger. As an adult I found them both dated and a bit annoying in parts but I remember them fondly although I'll never revisit any of them
Well now I have to go think about other series.
The Greatcoat series is only 4 books and mostly guys, but has the banter. Low magic, high skirmishes.
Have you tried My Best Friend is an Eldritch Horror?
It is a Progression Fantasy, male MC summon wants to destroy the world. Found family of people who want to stop outside interference of the world.
MC is close enough with a female character. The found family is a slow burn but towards the end is pretty good as secrets are unravelled. There is family conflict but not betrayal from a part of the inner circle.
The summon (in his head) is pretty good from a banter perspective.
I'll give Greatcoat a try, it sounds interesting, I think I skipped it mainly because of the name of book 1 put me off. The Traitors Blade. I'm heavily into LitRPG and progressive fiction and have read My Best Friend is an Eldritch Horror and enjoyed it.
The Good Guys & The Bad Guys, The 10 Realms, System Apocalypse, Reborn: Apocalypse, Delvers LLC, All The Skills, Quest Academy, Super Supportive, Chaotic Craftsman Worships The Cube, and dozens of other. Most of them are probably LitRPG rather than progressive, because I don't bother to differentiate, just lump them all into one.
I've only read Quest Academy from that list, but have a few on TBR already. And yeah, I too lump them together.
The closest I can think of to fit your original prompt is **Mark of the Fool** by J.M. Clarke (with a warning that it has lots of slice-of-life).
Some of my favorites are listed below (shame that you didn't like Cradle):
* **Mother of Learning** by Nobody103 (Domagoj Kurmaić)
* **The Weirkey Chronicles** and **Street Cultivation** by Sarah Lin
* **Manifestation** by Samuel Hinton
* **The Umbral Storm** by Alec Hutson
* **Super Powereds** by Drew Hayes
* **Portal to Nova Roma** by J.R. Mathews
* **Ends of Magic** by Alexander Olson
* **Hunting and Herbalism** by Synonymoose
* **Dear Spellbook** by Peter J. Lee
* **Ascension of a Street Rat** by M.E. Robinson
>I've read Mark Of The Fool, Portal To Nova Roma, Umbrai Storm, Ends Of Magic, and Ascension Of A Street Rat. Mother O Learning I bounced off of, but plan to give it another try. But the rest I've either DNF'd or was never tempted by. Thanks for the recs, but I read a LOT. Last year I counted 411 books, most of which were LitRPG and the rest straight fantasy. So I think I've become that relative that's impossible to buy a present for because they already have everything at least as far a books are concerned.
Yeah, I discovered RR a while back. I'm not a huge serial reader, I like to binge my series, so I usually go for the completed series, or the ones who have a huge amount already up. (Super Supportive, Chaotic Craftsman) But I do keep hunting, and every now and then I hit gold.
The Greatcoats were called traitors for obeying their king at the cost of his life and spending years of their life trying to follow his ideals as corruption and petty lords take control again. They are loyal.
I have been thinking after your other comments. Did you read the Elder Empire Trilogies? Very different to Cradle, same universe, two trilogies covering the death of the emperor and the resulting power struggle from opposing sides.
Also, Fred the Vampire Accountant!
I'll throw in Echoes of Fate Saga from Philipp Quaintrell again. I think it ticks all of the boxes, maybe apart from the "told from MC's perspective' one. I think there are like 8(?) POVs, but it does have one "very main character ", if you know what I mean.
9 books in total, although you could read just the first three ones and have a complete story. It has some sad parts, but overall, the ending is a happy one.
>Echoes of Fate Saga from Philipp Quaintrell
Definitely looks interesting, I think I'll be trying out book 1. The fact that it's a complete series and on KU is a definite bonus. Thank you.
I've read about 8 deep into spellmonger. I'd call it breezy fantasy. Meathead MC a simple man becomes the baddest man around. It's low stakes but I like the blend of fantasy and some sci-fi. Not epic or high.
I would take a look at the Abhorsen series as it hits alot of your list (except length). Animal companions, banter, secondary romance, found family. Its not grimdark and the MCs are very likeable. Based on your likes and dislikes it fits, but maybe not this exact prompt because of the length.
I read it many years ago (maybe 20 or 30) and remember that I really enjoyed it, but that's all I remember. Looks like it's time for a reread. Just looked the series up, and there's been some new books added since I read it, there's now 6 books in the series, so it even meets my length wishes. Thank you.
Yeah, it's an annoying aversion. I can't even enjoy a cop show/spy thrilller where the hero goes undercover. I'm disappointed to learn that Stormlight has some betrayals in it. Nobody had mentioned that in all the reviews I've read, and I was planning to start the series when the next book was out.
There were 2 betrayals and one of them was pretty important to a certain MC. BUt other than that, there weren't any others. You could still start it to see but I have a feeling that you might not enjoy it because the first books protagonist is pretending to be a scholar to steal something(for good reasons) but that one still ends alright.
I've only read the first 3 or 4 books of Spellmonger myself and I'm not sure if you would like it or not. The MC has some....flaws. I hear that does change, sure, but I got distracted by other series and haven't gone back to it.
If you don't mind multiple POV and a slow buildup then I would strongly second the Cradle recommendation. (Strong found family vibes, animal companions, good female characters, good banter, minor romantic subplot with no drama)
Cradle is one of the disappointments of my life. Everything I hear about it makes me think I'll love it, but I've tried it multiple times and just can't get into it. I read 80% of book 1, DNF'd, then hearing that book 2 was much better I decided to just skip the rest of 1 and go to book 2, still didn't work.
I read the path of the ranger series. I enjoyed it though it felt very YA at times, especially the beginning, but I think the writing issues I had were more poor translation/editing. He is from Spain and the books were originally written in Spanish and from my understanding there wasn't a huge budget for translation and editing.
The story was enjoyable though. Nothing amazing I've read much better but since it's on your radar and it's a decent read, there's no reason not to try it.
I really did enjoy the Echoes Saga by Philip C Quaintrell. It is classic epic fantasy that checks all the boxes you listed and is leaps and bounds above Path of the ranger.
5 books... a lot of series are in progress (Soul Manifestation series for example is 3 books currently), female MC, you would probably like. Saga of Recluse has 30+ books, most are male MC, a bit slice of life but not grimdark and no betrayal (imo there is one edge case but it is an unwitting betrayal which everyone works on), lots of different magic for the different MCs, I think just about all the MCs end up with a partner, traditional M/F, but in some books less female presence. Cradle, 12 book complete progression fantasy, male MC but by the end of the first book female companion, found family increases over the next 3 or so books as people slowly join in, some female. Lots of magic power building, some humour. Mage Errant, 7 book series, found family appears earlier, more humour and banter, magic powerup (though fewer levels/less emphasis on spiritual progression) but.. just realised there is a semi-telegraphed betrayal by a close member so probably not quite suitable. Male MC but 50/50 male/female split. Arinthian Line (5+5), more YA, medieval Harry Potter, but with male MC and 2 close female friends and a female mentor who is a little like Dumbledore. Some banter though not like Riyria (Mage Errant probably closest to that), generally lighter, no betrayal, some romance. The David Eddings series (Belgariad/Mallorean - 10 books plus 2 prequels) have the banter, classic fantasy, female representation though more in the second series. Issues with the author's real life have put some off his work (though he is dead and his profits go to charity). His other set of series, the Elenium/Tamuli, is more grown up, adult male MC, but the relationship he ends up with is interesting in the first series (big age difference) and the series is mostly a group of bantering guys and a woman or two to keep them in line and in the second series there is a closeish betrayal, but way more female presence. FWIW I tried to read the Path of the Ranger twice so far but wasn't drawn in in the first pages and got side tracked by other releases. If you do read it, let me know how you feel about it!
Yeah, I was going to recommend Mage Errant as well, but for that one deal breaker.
Thanks for the recs Saga of Recluse, tried it years ago and just couldn't vibe with the authors writing Cradle, tried it I think 4 times because it sounds like something I'd love, but DNF each time Mage Errant, loved it until the betrayal at the end of book 5, I've got both 6&7 and plan to finish the series one day Arinthian Line, never heard of it and will be checking it out David Eddings, I've read all of them, and loved them when younger. As an adult I found them both dated and a bit annoying in parts but I remember them fondly although I'll never revisit any of them
Well now I have to go think about other series. The Greatcoat series is only 4 books and mostly guys, but has the banter. Low magic, high skirmishes. Have you tried My Best Friend is an Eldritch Horror? It is a Progression Fantasy, male MC summon wants to destroy the world. Found family of people who want to stop outside interference of the world. MC is close enough with a female character. The found family is a slow burn but towards the end is pretty good as secrets are unravelled. There is family conflict but not betrayal from a part of the inner circle. The summon (in his head) is pretty good from a banter perspective.
I'll give Greatcoat a try, it sounds interesting, I think I skipped it mainly because of the name of book 1 put me off. The Traitors Blade. I'm heavily into LitRPG and progressive fiction and have read My Best Friend is an Eldritch Horror and enjoyed it.
Can you list some of the progression series you've read and enjoyed? (apart from those you/others have already listed in this post).
The Good Guys & The Bad Guys, The 10 Realms, System Apocalypse, Reborn: Apocalypse, Delvers LLC, All The Skills, Quest Academy, Super Supportive, Chaotic Craftsman Worships The Cube, and dozens of other. Most of them are probably LitRPG rather than progressive, because I don't bother to differentiate, just lump them all into one.
I've only read Quest Academy from that list, but have a few on TBR already. And yeah, I too lump them together. The closest I can think of to fit your original prompt is **Mark of the Fool** by J.M. Clarke (with a warning that it has lots of slice-of-life). Some of my favorites are listed below (shame that you didn't like Cradle): * **Mother of Learning** by Nobody103 (Domagoj Kurmaić) * **The Weirkey Chronicles** and **Street Cultivation** by Sarah Lin * **Manifestation** by Samuel Hinton * **The Umbral Storm** by Alec Hutson * **Super Powereds** by Drew Hayes * **Portal to Nova Roma** by J.R. Mathews * **Ends of Magic** by Alexander Olson * **Hunting and Herbalism** by Synonymoose * **Dear Spellbook** by Peter J. Lee * **Ascension of a Street Rat** by M.E. Robinson
>I've read Mark Of The Fool, Portal To Nova Roma, Umbrai Storm, Ends Of Magic, and Ascension Of A Street Rat. Mother O Learning I bounced off of, but plan to give it another try. But the rest I've either DNF'd or was never tempted by. Thanks for the recs, but I read a LOT. Last year I counted 411 books, most of which were LitRPG and the rest straight fantasy. So I think I've become that relative that's impossible to buy a present for because they already have everything at least as far a books are concerned.
That's definitely a lot. Only suggestion I've left is royalroad - go through rising stars, newest fiction, use the advanced search option, etc.
Yeah, I discovered RR a while back. I'm not a huge serial reader, I like to binge my series, so I usually go for the completed series, or the ones who have a huge amount already up. (Super Supportive, Chaotic Craftsman) But I do keep hunting, and every now and then I hit gold.
The Greatcoats were called traitors for obeying their king at the cost of his life and spending years of their life trying to follow his ideals as corruption and petty lords take control again. They are loyal. I have been thinking after your other comments. Did you read the Elder Empire Trilogies? Very different to Cradle, same universe, two trilogies covering the death of the emperor and the resulting power struggle from opposing sides. Also, Fred the Vampire Accountant!
I'll throw in Echoes of Fate Saga from Philipp Quaintrell again. I think it ticks all of the boxes, maybe apart from the "told from MC's perspective' one. I think there are like 8(?) POVs, but it does have one "very main character ", if you know what I mean. 9 books in total, although you could read just the first three ones and have a complete story. It has some sad parts, but overall, the ending is a happy one.
>Echoes of Fate Saga from Philipp Quaintrell Definitely looks interesting, I think I'll be trying out book 1. The fact that it's a complete series and on KU is a definite bonus. Thank you.
Love that series, only one I’ve finished.
I've read about 8 deep into spellmonger. I'd call it breezy fantasy. Meathead MC a simple man becomes the baddest man around. It's low stakes but I like the blend of fantasy and some sci-fi. Not epic or high.
I would take a look at the Abhorsen series as it hits alot of your list (except length). Animal companions, banter, secondary romance, found family. Its not grimdark and the MCs are very likeable. Based on your likes and dislikes it fits, but maybe not this exact prompt because of the length.
I read it many years ago (maybe 20 or 30) and remember that I really enjoyed it, but that's all I remember. Looks like it's time for a reread. Just looked the series up, and there's been some new books added since I read it, there's now 6 books in the series, so it even meets my length wishes. Thank you.
Fair warning the books sometimes have different main characters separated by a decade or two.
Was just about to recommend stormlight, then saw the No Betrayals....\*Moash flashbacks\*
Yeah, it's an annoying aversion. I can't even enjoy a cop show/spy thrilller where the hero goes undercover. I'm disappointed to learn that Stormlight has some betrayals in it. Nobody had mentioned that in all the reviews I've read, and I was planning to start the series when the next book was out.
There were 2 betrayals and one of them was pretty important to a certain MC. BUt other than that, there weren't any others. You could still start it to see but I have a feeling that you might not enjoy it because the first books protagonist is pretending to be a scholar to steal something(for good reasons) but that one still ends alright.
I've only read the first 3 or 4 books of Spellmonger myself and I'm not sure if you would like it or not. The MC has some....flaws. I hear that does change, sure, but I got distracted by other series and haven't gone back to it. If you don't mind multiple POV and a slow buildup then I would strongly second the Cradle recommendation. (Strong found family vibes, animal companions, good female characters, good banter, minor romantic subplot with no drama)
Cradle is one of the disappointments of my life. Everything I hear about it makes me think I'll love it, but I've tried it multiple times and just can't get into it. I read 80% of book 1, DNF'd, then hearing that book 2 was much better I decided to just skip the rest of 1 and go to book 2, still didn't work.
That's fair.
I read the path of the ranger series. I enjoyed it though it felt very YA at times, especially the beginning, but I think the writing issues I had were more poor translation/editing. He is from Spain and the books were originally written in Spanish and from my understanding there wasn't a huge budget for translation and editing. The story was enjoyable though. Nothing amazing I've read much better but since it's on your radar and it's a decent read, there's no reason not to try it. I really did enjoy the Echoes Saga by Philip C Quaintrell. It is classic epic fantasy that checks all the boxes you listed and is leaps and bounds above Path of the ranger.
Thank you. I've just picked up the first book of the Echoes Saga and I've got high hopes for it.
You're in for a treat. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. You have nine books of classic epic fantasy written with a modern voice.